TNAG-1854-FCO40-2629-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-me-1989 — Page 241

HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 18 January 1989

香港立法局 一九八九年一月十八日

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MR. ARCULLI: Sir, will the Secretary for Health and Welfare clarify, in answer to Mr. McGREGOR's question, when he said that there was no similar incident in the past, whether he was referring to an incident resulting in death, or whether there was an incident resulting in injury as well?

SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE: Sir, as far as the Director of Medical and Health Services is aware, a similar incident of the wrong gas being administered to a patient undergoing an operation has not occurred previously in Hong Kong.

潘志輝議員問:主席先生,根據我記憶所及,這次並非第一次醫療出錯,以前也發生在其他方面 例如輸血。所以為了避免市民認為當局是『頭痛醫頭,腳痛醫腳』,政府會否考慮在整體的醫 療以及護理,或在醫療物品供應方面,制定一個程序指示,以確保市民的安全?同時在答案末段 提及有關今次事件的全面報告,當局會否向本局或公眾人士公佈事件的有關情況?

SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE: Sir, the control of the provision of medicines and pharmaceutical products to hospitals is, as I said in my main reply, already under adequate control. I do not think there is any need to review those controls and provide any new guidelines. As far as the other aspects of hospital operations are concerned, the government hospitals are under the control of the Director of Medical and Health Services, and the other hospitals are under the control of registered medical practitioners who are well- known to the Director of Medical and Health Services. According to the Director of Medical and Health Services, the managements of these hospitals have always been co-operative with the department and receptive to advice given by the department. So I do not think we should, this afternoon, Sir, stray outside the original question and talk about the setting of guidelines for other types of hospital operations. As far as the provision and administration of oxygen to patients is concerned, I have said already in my main reply that once we have established the cause of the accident, we will immediately consider what long-term steps should be taken to prevent this from occurring again.

MR. PETER WONG: Sir, I hope my learned friends will excuse me if I misquote Murphy's Law, which is "If anything will go wrong, it will go wrong". In such circumstances, can the Secretary for Health and Welfare please confirm that all subvented hospitals are adequately insured against such mishaps, so that the unfortunate victims or their families will be adequately compensated?

SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE: Sir, I shall consult the Director of Medical and Health Services and provide a reply in writing. (Annex IX)